Chapter 96

Chen Ergou hurriedly smiled and stepped forward to explain, "This Pig Slaughter Li is a butcher who lives by the North Gate. He has seven or eight pig slaughterers under him, and they can all draw knives to fight. He handles the local racketeering and prostitution. This Yan Heilian is a major figure in Yangliu Alley. All the beggars in the city have to pay him, and it's said that he's the biggest in the southern part of the city."

Zhao Jin nodded. He didn't know these things until Chen Ergou mentioned them, and he couldn't help but ask, "How does Yan Heilian compare to Copperhead, and are there any other such figures in our Xuzhou City?"

"Pig Slaughter Li is about the same as Copperhead, but Yan Heilian is bigger. In the southern part of Xuzhou, these three are the most famous. In the eastern and western parts of the city..." Chen Ergou felt more and more nervous as he spoke. Zhao Jin and the others were calm, but he couldn't continue. In fact, the argument inside the small house was still going on, and no one had noticed the situation outside.

Seeing Chen Ergou's nervousness, Zhao Jin smiled and said, "We'll listen to you after we're done."

He took a few steps forward, lifted the curtain with his spear, and as soon as the curtain was lifted, the argument inside the house stopped immediately. Two middle-aged men turned their heads in surprise.

One of them, a fat man with a tuft of black hair, was very noticeable, while the other, Dahuang, was very muscular with a prominent forehead, looking quite fierce.

They saw Chen Ergou first. Dahuang frowned and said, "What the hell are you doing here? Get out!"

Chen Ergou instinctively shrank back but was blocked by Zhao Jin. While lifting the curtain, Zhao Jin smiled and said to Chen Sheng, "Big Sheng, I still don't believe in your sword skills. Can you split that table into two halves?"

Zhao Jin was referring to the wooden table between Dahuang and the fat man. Chen Sheng smiled and nodded, "I can!"

This time, Chen Sheng didn't charge forward but walked into the small house with a steady pace. His movements were rhythmic, and he drew his sword, discarded the scabbard, and held the sword with both hands. Once inside the house, he raised the long sword and chopped it down swiftly.

The fat man and Dahuang didn't react as Chen Sheng approached. When they saw him draw his sword, they hurriedly moved to the sides. They watched as he chopped the thick wooden table in half.

"How about that?" After the chop, Chen Sheng didn't pay attention to the two men and turned back to ask with a smile.

Zhao Jin entered the room with his spear and nodded, "Your strength and technique are getting better. Splitting the table isn't hard, but what's impressive is how clean and swift you did it."

The fat man and Dahuang, who were crouched on the sides, subconsciously looked at the table. Although it wasn't made of high-quality material, it was a two-inch thick wooden board, and it was split so cleanly. If it had been a person, the bones wouldn't have held up...

These two young men had just walked in and were talking and laughing, and outside, there were Chen Ergou and a few others. Despite the many people guarding the temple, these young men and Chen Ergou had walked in so casually, making the situation quite strange. However, the fat man and Dahuang didn't dare to react.

With a "rip," the curtain was cut straight down. The weather wasn't warm yet, and a thick cotton curtain hung on the door frame. Such a thick cotton curtain would be hard to cut even with a knife, but now it was cut in two.

Wang Zhaojing's sword made a flourish as he walked in gracefully and said with a smile, "Brother Zhao, I've been practicing my sword skills for many years. I can also give it a try."

"Sure, my axe can be even more impressive," Sun Dalei said, eager to show off.

Zhao Jin smiled but didn't respond. Wang Zhaojing's sword skills were indeed good, but his performance was more about finesse and killing intent, lacking the intimidation. Sun Dalei's double-bladed axe, when swung, would likely cause splinters and injuries.

The room was small, and after Wang Zhaojing entered, it became crowded. He smiled, looked around, and then turned to let Chen Ergou in, before walking out.

Zhao Jin turned and asked, "Brother Chen, with Copperhead dead, are these two the ones who have the most say?"

Chen Ergou looked at the fat man and Dahuang and nodded quickly, "They each manage a part of the business. Under Copperhead, they are the next in line."

Zhao Jin nodded and turned to smile, "Gentlemen, from now on, you will be under Brother Chen's management. How about that?"

Chen Sheng's long sword was still out of the scabbard, and he was glaring at the two men. The fat man and Dahuang, who had been street toughs, were now more composed, but they remained silent with cold faces.

"Will you agree or not? Please give us an answer," Zhao Jin urged. Dahuang glared at Zhao Jin but turned to Chen Ergou and gritted his teeth, "Ergou, you scum, you actually colluded with outsiders..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Jin's spear thrust out like a snake, piercing Dahuang's calf and then pulling back. Zhao Jin's face was cold as he continued, "You're being disrespectful. Will you agree or not? I'm waiting for your answer!"

Dahuang didn't react in time. When the spear was pulled out, he let out a piercing scream and crouched down to hold his leg. The fat man was scared and instinctively reached for his pocket, but Chen Sheng's sword tip was already at his throat, and he dared not move.

Blood was flowing from the wound in Dahuang's calf, and he was screaming in pain. He quickly tore off the bottom of his shirt to bandage the wound and stop the bleeding.

"Stop screaming. Your men outside are useless, and we're not afraid of them," Zhao Jin said, thrusting his spear forward, scaring the two men into shrinking back.

Dahuang's screams were indeed meant to call for help, but Zhao Jin didn't care. Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Dahuang stopped and said through gritted teeth, "Since this gentleman wants Ergou to manage, I, Dahuang, have no objections."

Zhao Jin nodded and looked at the fat man. Chen Sheng's sword was almost at his throat, and the fat man also smiled and said, "I agree. Let Ergou manage."

"Since that's the case, the title should change. Call him Second Master Chen from now on," Zhao Jin said.

The two men, who were being held, nodded with grim faces, thinking they would deal with it later.

Zhao Jin looked at them and smiled, "You two, go out and tell everyone outside who will be in charge from now on."

These young men weren't easy to fool. The fat man and Dahuang looked at each other and nodded silently.

Since he entered, Chen Ergou hadn't had much chance to speak. He was already stunned, watching Zhao Jin talk.

Not only was he stunned, but even Wang Zhaojing outside was surprised and whispered to his companion, "Brother Zhao's style is really rough. I never would have guessed!"

As they spoke, the fat man and the limping Dahuang walked out, and Zhao Jin and the others followed, saying, "Everyone, escort these two to the gate and tell the people outside who will be in charge from now on!"

Everyone understood and surrounded the fat man and Dahuang, pushing the door open and walking out.

Dahuang's screams had already alarmed the people outside. His subordinates wanted to rush in, but Chen Ergou's men blocked them, and a confrontation was about to break out.

Just as they were about to fight, everyone came out. The people outside saw their leaders were still alive and lost their fighting spirit. These street toughs were willing to fight, but few were willing to risk their lives. Zhao Jin and his group had just demonstrated their killing skills.

Despite seeing Dahuang's bleeding leg and the leaders' grim faces, no one moved. They even felt a sense of relief, thinking that since no one was dead, there was no need to fight to the death.

Outside the gate, a large area was cleared. Zhao Jin looked around and turned to the fat man and Dahuang, "Gentlemen, tell everyone that from now on, everything will be managed by Second Master Chen."

Zhao Jin's expression was calm, but the two men he was addressing were almost spitting fire, with twisted faces, unwilling to speak. Chen Sheng, standing next to them, coldly snorted and drew his sword halfway out of the scabbard.

This sound made the fat man and Dahuang lose their courage. Thinking of the table that was split in two, they had no more resistance. They looked at each other and decided to give up.

Just then, they heard someone outside shout impatiently, "What are you all doing here? Get out of the way!"

The words were rude, but the street toughs moved aside, and three men in blue robes with square hats walked in. These three men weren't particularly muscular, but two held iron rulers, and one had a chain around his waist, dressed like officials from the government.

"Master Qian, Master Zhang, Master Liu, you three have come," the fat man, who had been dejected, suddenly became excited and shouted.

Zhao Jin frowned, and the fat man continued, "Masters, these unknown young men came here and started causing trouble, saying they want a nobody to manage things. I argued with them, and they even hurt me. Misters, please do something!"

Before he could finish, the man with the chain on his waist changed his expression and shouted, "With Copperhead dead, you should be in charge according to the rules. Who else dares to interfere? Are they looking for death?"

"You scum, you actually prepared for this, getting help from the officials!" It wasn't Zhao Jin who said this, but Dahuang, who was shouting in anger.

The fat man took two steps forward, looking very pleased, and said with a smile, "Dahuang, you'd better be reasonable. Otherwise, you'll be worse off in jail."

After saying this, the fat man pointed at Zhao Jin and the others and shouted, "Masters, these young men are armed and may be involved in Copperhead's death. They need to be investigated!"

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